Youngster II
by Inkognito97
Summary: Sequel to 'Youngster' A Young Sith warrior faces his biggest challenge yet, and he makes some interesting discoveries. Part 25.2 of 'The ABC of Obi-Wan'


AN: Here you are, the sequel of 'Youngster'. I would recommend reading that one first, even though it probably would not be needed to understand this one.

As always, I do not own Star Wars or any of ist Characters, I just borrow and Play with them for a while.

I hope you enjoy! ^^

* * *

Youngster II

Despite the heat from the previous day, the nights on Tatooine were rather chilly and throughout the night was when some life forms decided to come out of their hiding places. This was more or less the case with the two figures who stood before the Nubian ship of the queen of Naboo. One of the figures was a tall male with long hair and a not so neatly trimmed beard. Despite his appearance, his midnight blue eyes looked as if they held much wisdom and knowledge. The other figure was smaller and younger and his hair was very short, except for a single braid that rested on his chest. The younger male with the ginger hair and the ever changing blue-green eyes, was currently standing very still and he simply looked towards the horizon, obviously deep in thought.

To any outstander, he would have looked like the epitome of a calm Jedi, but Qui-Gon knew better. He knew that the both of them were everything but Jedi. Looks could be deceiving after all.

"What is it Obi-Wan? You have been on edge ever since we started this mission," the older male eventually broke the silence of the evening. He had waited for such an opportunity, to talk with his apprentice in peace, away from listening ears and watchful eyes.

The ginger haired male did not turn to look at him. "There is this presence in the Force."

"Describe it for me."

"He is a dark side user, but unlike us, he has succumbed to his rage and blood lust. I think he is one of those pretentious Sith, Master Dooku has mentioned."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," and that was more than enough for Qui-Gon. When there was one thing he could count on in the whole universe, then it was Obi-Wan's connection with the Force.

"Well, let us see what we can do about our little friend then, shall we?" The long haired Master was about to turn around and get back onto the ship to contact Dooku, but his Padawan's next word kept him from it. "No."

"Excuse me?"

Only now did Obi-Wan turn to look into his Master's midnight blue eyes. In his own, there was a strange gleam, turning the blue-green eyes just a shade lighter. "This is my trial Master, I know it."

"Obi-Wan, are you absolutely certain? I don't want to lose another apprentice."

A small smile appeared on the young features. "I have never been so sure, in all my life. The Force is with me, my Master. This is my trial, this is my opportunity to finally become a full fledged Sith Lord... like you and Master Dooku."

"Child-" Qui-Gon began while he took a step forward and laid his hand on his apprentice's shoulder, but he was interrupted, when the ginger haired man spoke up again, "Trust me, trust me Master and I promise you, with all my being, that I will not fail. I will not fail my trial and I will definitely not fail you and your training. I promise, I am going to make you proud."

A sad smile appeared on the Sith Lord's face and he shook his head, "No, you don't need to make me proud, for I already am. I just wish for you to return save, alright?"

"I promise," the Sith in training nodded. Qui-Gon's hand on the smaller male's shoulder tightened for the briefest of moments, before he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the younger Sith's forehead.

Qui-Gon took a deep breath and eventually opened his mouth to speak the traditional Sith words, "Obi-Wan Kenobi, my apprentice, we have been through much and from it we learned. Together, as Master and apprentice, we travelled the galaxy, searching for wisdom and doing our duty to the Force. Now is the time for you, my apprentice, to become independent. The time has come, for you to face a world without a Master guiding you. It is time for you to face and master your trials and in doing so, you will be free from my tutelage and guidance. Are you ready to face your trial?"

Obi-Wan stood up just a little straighter and there was determination in his eyes, "I am ready to face whatever the Force throws at me, my Master."

"Very well then, go, but only armed with your lightsaber and the Force. Go and search out the person, who the Force chose to be your rival and opponent. Face him or her, slay your rival and bring me a proof of your passing." The slaying of one's rival was an eons old tradition in the Sith Order. Usually it was somebody, who had no place in the Force anymore. The Sith, as the 'darker' followers of the Force's will, were send to deal with such scum.

"Till then, my Master," and with those words, did Obi-Wan shrug of his brown robe and handed it to Qui-Gon, along with knives and daggers he kept hidden on his body. Qui-Gon shot him a bemused look, when he found his arms full of countless devices, weapons and other things that would ensure someone's survival, especially in battle. "I like to be prepared for everything," Obi-Wan shrugged.

"I can see that... it is something you and me share."

A small smiled appeared on young features, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It left a stern and serious expression behind. With one final bow, Obi-Wan showed his respect and with that, he went his own way. His very first steps for an independent Sith life. Not that they would ever be truly separated from each other, even Qui-Gon and Dooku met regularly. It was just part of the protocol.

* * *

It's been five days now and there was still no sign of Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon began to worry and harbour doubts. Perhaps this hadn't been the right decision after all. Perhaps he had come to rely too much on his apprentice's unique connection with the Force. He should have been back by now and even Dooku's calming words could do nothing to calm the long haired man's troubled mind.

On top of it all, the queen was beginning to get restless, as well as her people. They wanted to leave and Qui-Gon could not even hold it against them. At least they had allowed him to wait so long for his 'lost' apprentice. But the Sith Master was not sure how much longer their patience would be. Of course he could try to use a Force suggestion against them, but he'd rather not do it, not when he might need all his energy to help Obi-Wan in any way possible.

If he had something to occupy his time with at least, then things would not be so bad. The way things were however, his mission was practically over. He had gotten the required parts for the damaged ship and he found a very interesting boy on the desert planet. His name was Anakin Skywalker and he had the highest medichlorian count Qui-Gon had ever seen, even higher as Obi-Wan's. Qui-Gon had never told his apprentice, but the ginger haired male's medichlorian count was even higher than Yoda's, not that it would have mattered to Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon had also travelled to Mos Espa a second time to free Anakin's mother. The Force had urged him to do so, telling him that it would prevent something terrible to happen. It did not say what though. Shmi, that was the name of the friendly Skywalker woman, had decided to stay on Tatooine, apparently she had met someone, not that Qui-Gon particularly cared to know.

Suddenly deciding that he couldn't take the closeness of his own quarters anymore, the long haired man stepped outside into the corridor, before making his way towards the ship's exits. The suns were already setting and the other ship inhabitants had already gone to rest or to do their private businesses, so everything was mostly calm and abandoned.

Still, the tall man, who was deeply connected to the Living Force, needed to get out for a moment, into the slightly cooler evening air. It was there, on the desert sand of Tatooine, where he continued his endless pacing, while he was waiting for his light to find its way home.

Qui-Gon was not sure how long he stayed outside, nor did he particularly care. What he DID notice was, when a black figure appeared on the horizon. The tall Sith Master could feel nothing except darkness from this person, this did not tell him anything about said figure's identity however. Even when the dark being drew nearer, Qui-Gon could not figure out who that was, because the figure was clothed in a black robe with a hood. What caught his attentions was the bag the mysterious person was holding.

The Sith Master took a deep breath and while blowing it out, he released his anxiety into the Force. With trained ease, did the long haired man allow his robe to slide to the ground and he took his lightsaber into his hand. Not a moment later, the grey sand was illuminated by the green blade. All the while the unknown being approached the ship under the cover of the cloud that hid the setting suns and the already appearing moon and all of a sudden all the calmness was blown to the wind again, when an unwanted thought came to the Sith's mind. What if this was the 'other' Sith and what if he had killed Obi-Wan? Under normal circumstances Qui-Gon would have felt the death of his precious apprentice, but it was possible to shield a bond, especially as a powerful user of the dark side. Obi-Wan was capable of such a feet and perhaps his opponent was too.

Meanwhile the cloaked figure had reached him and stood only a few feet away. Close enough to launch an attack and still far enough to dodge one. Qui-Gon tightened the grip on his lightsaber, so that his knuckles were turning white. If this indeed was the person, who killed his precious son, then Qui-Gon would make sure to let him suffer during the last moments of his pitiful life.

Finally, what felt like an eternity, the cloaked figure raised his head and the single desert cloud moved on, causing the bright light of the moon to shine right into the other male's face. A gasp escaped the Sith Master and his lightsaber escaped his suddenly numb grip. Beautiful golden eyes met midnight blue ones. And those eyes truly were golden and not such a dirty yellow, like Dooku and Qui-Gon had. And a toothy and maybe a little predatory smile greeted the tall man.

Qui-Gon could do nothing, but huff when all his pent up tension left him and he surged forward to wrap the ginger haired male into a bone-crushing hug. A child had gone to seek out its rival in the Force and a man had returned to claim his place in the Order of the Sith.

Eventually Qui-Gon pulled back, but he still kept a hold on his former apprentice, just as said apprentice did on him. Hesitantly a large hand reached up and ran over the strange tattoo that ran from the younger male's right eye down his cheek. Qui-Gon had absolutely no idea what it was and what it meant, but he was sure that it had something to do with Obi-Wan being a true Sith now. Or perhaps it was due to the strange rival the Force had chosen for the ginger haired man. A Force sensitive, a trained one on top of all and one who claimed to be a Sith. In Qui-Gon's eyes, this couldn't be a coincidence.

"Welcome back, Lord Kenobi," it was the formal greeting for those, who had mastered their trials. Qui-Gon didn't need to say more. The rest was send over their reopened bond.

"I return home, my former Master," Obi-Wan recited his part of the traditional speech, "and I humbly present to you, Lord Jinn, the head of my rival. As requested, he had been chosen by the Force and with the Force's aid, I have slain him. His head, it is yours to keep or yours to deny."

"I will accept what you offer me and hereby announce you an official member of the Sith Order. You have made your family and the Force proud, young Sith Lord."

"Thank you, Master. For your time, the wisdom you shared with me and all of your training. I swear by the Force that I shall not forget the origin of my way, nor your guidance." His shoulders were being squeezed once more and as soon as the last word left the new Sith Lord's mouth, was he engulfed into another hug, which he returned with just as much vigour.

When the two men parted, Qui-Gon found himself looking into very familiar blue-green eyes and the strange tattoo had vanished as well. He smiled down at his son with pride. Obi-Wan had truly come a long way, from the often clumsy and unsure apprentice, who had needed help with shielding his true nature, to a confident and wise young man. Qui-Gon couldn't be any prouder, even if Obi-Wan truly shared his blood.

* * *

Back in their small quarters on board the ship that had already left Tatooine far behind, Qui-Gon was meditating. He had previously watched the friendly interaction between Obi-Wan and Anakin, while the former had taken care of the younger boy, who had suddenly appeared very unsure. Despite the brief interaction, a strong bond had already formed between the two of them and Qui-Gon would need to be blind to not see it.

Without even speaking aloud on the blonde whirlwind's part, Obi-Wan had immediately known what Anakin needed, be it food or a extra blanket or just someone to listen and to understand. Thankfully Anakin had found all of this, and much more, in the ginger haired male in front of him. Yes, the long haired Jedi could see a long and intertwined future for the two of them, even without the gift of foresight that Obi-Wan possessed.

For a moment, the Sith's gaze focused enough to see his worn out travel back that rested at the other side of the small room. The head of the dead Zabrak was hidden carefully in this bag. It would later be burnt in the presence of Master Dooku. Obi-Wan had wanted to include the white haired male he saw as a grandfather and role model and who was Qui-Gon to deny him such a wish?

Right this moment, the door to the shared quarters swung open and the Sith Lord was not surprised to see his former apprentice enter, with someone half asleep lying in his arms. Both Sith did not utter a single word, they understood each other without it, so Obi-Wan walked towards his assigned bed and carefully disposed his precious cargo on it. Anakin did not so much as stir, before the older male sent him deeper into the land of dreams with a gentle Force suggestion. Then the former apprentice covered the shivering form with even more blankets and after that, he sat down next to Qui-Gon, who had watched everything with a soft gaze.

"How is he?" Qui-Gon whispered, he did not want to wake the boy.

"He will be fine, he just needs some time to adjust and someone who helps him with it," the ginger haired Sith answered in the same volume.

"I see," was the only reply and the older man would have went right back to his interrupted meditation session, hadn't it been for his companion's next word.

"Master," the title came easily over the apprentice's lips, he had used this word for years now to properly address his mentor. But something about the tone it had been uttered in, caught the long haired man's attention and he quickly abandoned all thoughts of meditation in favour of listening and focusing of his precious charge. "The Sith I fought..." he trailed off, clearly thinking about what he wanted to say. Qui-Gon did not press him, he knew that his young friend sometimes needed a little bit to order his thoughts in that brilliant head of his. "His name was... Maul, Darth Maul."

Qui-Gon slowly nodded his head, his gaze resting on the wall opposite from him, but without really seeing it. He did not doubt Obi-Wan's words even for a single second. He probably had found those answers deep within the Force, in places Qui-Gon could not reach in his wildest dreams. "Darth... it IS one of those then."

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to nod. There had always been self proclaimed Sith warriors in their past, but most of them were just poor excuses of failed Jedi or arrogant Force users. Recently however, rumours had spread that somebody powerful was rising in the underground and that being was not only dark, but also travelled the path of the Sith. The path of the Sith was... a mystery to those who did not wander it, but during eons of living and war and destruction, some things had changed. A group had split itself from the original Sith, the very same Dooku, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan belonged to. This little splinter group had developed certain ranks and titles, such as 'Darth' and at some point during the war, when lines were blurred, Darth Bane had proclaimed the rule of two. This rule only refers to the splinter group, while the original Sith stayed with their idea of an Order, not so much unlike that of the Jedi. Sadly, against two fronts, the original Sith had been almost completely wiped out and the splinter group had been thought extinguished. Apparently that was wrong.

"What else can you tell me?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Well," the ginger haired man began and he tilted his head a little, "I know he was only the apprentice and I think that he was sent out to assassinate the queen of Naboo. Which leads me to believe that somehow, the so called 'Sith' have some interest in the planet, or at least its government, which also means that the Trade Federation is working for those so called 'Sith'."

Qui-Gon hummed, partly in agreement and partly in thought. "Tell me of his abilities."

Blue-green eyes met midnight blue ones. "He was VERY talented in the arts of the dark side. He was wielding a double bladed lightsaber, red, that he used for defensive as well as offensive tactics," he hesitated, "For a moment I doubted that I would be able to best him, but in the end he had shown a great weakness... arrogance."

"A trait he undoubtedly inherited from his Master," Qui-Gon ignored the part about his former student's doubts. "It COULD be used for our advantage."

"IF we find him, Master, then yes."

"We will," Qui-Gon said determined and with full belief, "We should tell Master Dooku though."

"Agreed."

"And now," the older male stood up and stretched his muscles, "we both should find some rest."

"And how, my Master? My bed is currently occupied," Obi-Wan stated, but his tone held a certain tone of fondness, which in turn made Qui-Gon fond too, they were speaking about his grandapprentice after all, even when Obi-Wan did not realize that yet.

"We will figure something out." In the end, the two Sith ended up in Qui-Gon's bed, with the older male hugging his charge close to his chest. It was a testament to a time, when Obi-Wan had been young and had come to his Master's bed because of a nightmare or a vision or simply when he wanted to.

A wave of peace ran through both men as the lay there. Their days were often full of adventure, conflict, hate and war and at least now, they knew that nothing could harm them, not with each other so close by.

* * *

I hope you liked it. ^^

And surprise, surprise, there will be a third part! XD

I would really appreciate it, if you left a comment behind and tell me what you think. ^^


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